First Is The Worst: Losing Giants even losing the battle for the No. 1 pick

Who says the Giants are out of it and it’s not worth watching the out-of-town scoreboard?

The playoffs: Forget about it.

The first pick in the 2018 draft: It’s not over till it’s over.

The Giants’ 30-10 loss to the Cowboys on Eli Manning Appreciation Day was not the bad news. In fact, as far as securing their next franchise quarterback, every loss is a good loss, unless you think meaningless victories in a lost season build character and can save the job of interim coach Steve Spagnuolo when this team is in need of a massive overhaul.

The far worse news was the winless Browns blowing a 14-point lead to the Packers and losing in overtime to retain a two-game lead for the first pick.

The Giants were so unwatchable again Sunday that Dave Gettleman, the favorite to be named general manager, and any other candidate interested in the job, could have been scared off watching the Giants play to get to 2-11.

The Giants are even losing at losing.

Then again, assuming the Giants have bottomed out, the old regime of Jerry Reese and Ben McAdoo has left the new regime plenty of room to improve. If the Giants lose two of their last three games against the Eagles, Cardinals and Washington to finish 3-13, it will be the first time in franchise history they have lost more than 12 games.

If they run the table and lose all three, the nine-game season-to-season dropoff in victories will be the most since the NFL went to 16 games in 1978 and tie the franchise record of 11-3 in 1963 to 2-10-2 in 1964.

Manning, back as the starter, was given a standing ovation the first time he took the field and fans later were chanting, “Eli Manning, Eli Manning,” and it was such a heartwarming moment that even Cowboys owner Jerry Jones later said, “I was glad to see Eli out there. I really was. I’m not sure what it would look like to see a Giant team if they don’t have Eli out there at quarterback.”

I don’t think he was saying that because Manning tossed two interceptions in the fourth quarter, the first setting up the final touchdown for Dallas, and was missing so many open receivers, as he has all season.

Manning really has no reliable wideouts besides Sterling Shepard and no offensive line, but after crying when he got demoted and then begging Spags for his job back after McAdoo was fired, he showed why John Mara, Reese and McAdoo wanted to give playing time to Geno Smith and, eventually and hopefully, rookie Davis Webb. Manning can’t function with so little talent around him. He’s going to be 37 in a few weeks and needs more pieces. Eli played like the Manning of 2017, which means not very good.

Eli Manning sits on the sidelines after throwing an interception.

“Obviously the last few weeks have been difficult with losing my starting job and losing your head coach,” Manning said. “Those things are hard and they are personal and hurt. I don’t like losing a head coach. I take that personally. That’s on me for not doing my job. I don’t like losing my starting job. That’s personal, also, and that’s because I haven’t played well enough and we’re not winning games.”

Manning came off as the injured party in McAdoo’s clumsy attempt to get Smith on the field. In effect, Manning benched himself after he refused to accept McAdoo’s plan for him to start in Oakland with Smith starting the second half. Even if Manning believed McAdoo’s motive to start him was just to allow him to extend his streak, did Manning have the right to say no?

That part of the story has been overlooked. Manning’s base salary is $13 million this season and he’s being paid to play, not make coaching decisions. But Giants fans clearly sided with Manning.

“I appreciate all of the support the fans have given me for 14 years and these last weeks, especially,” Manning said.

Midway through the final quarter Sunday when Dak Prescott connected with tight end Jason Witten — one of the all-time Giants killers — on a 20-yard touchdown, it was worth taking a look at the scoreboard to check on the 49ers and Browns.

If he leaves, Sam Darnold is likely to be the No. 1 pick in the draft.

(Carlos Osorio/AP)

San Francisco was on its way to going 2-0 since switching to Jimmy Garoppolo and improving to 3-10, dropping them a game behind the Giants for the second pick in the draft with Big Blue also holding the strength of schedule tie-breaker. That just about locks up pick No. 2.

If you are going to suffer through one of the all-time worst seasons in the 93-year history of the franchise, why settle for the second pick when the first pick could be within reach? The Browns went into their home game against the Packers a perfect 0-12 but held a 21-7 lead going into the fourth quarter.

The best chance for Southern Cal’s Sam Darnold to give up his final two years of eligibility and apply for the draft by the Jan. 18 deadline is for the Giants, not the Browns, to have the first pick. One of my quarterback gurus, who has a track record of picking the right QBs, insists he would take Darnold over UCLA’s Josh Rosen.

Even when the Packers closed to within 21-14 early in the fourth quarter, it still looked like the Browns were on the way to their second victory in their last 29 games. Remember, Aaron Rodgers is still out and Brett Hundley was the QB. The Giants needed the Browns to win this game and one more before the season’s over. And the Giants need to lose their last three and hope the tie-breaker comes out in their favor.

The Packers had a short field after a 65-yard punt return and Hundley’s 1-yard TD to Davante Adams with 17 seconds left sent the game into overtime. Cleveland’s DeShone Kizer then threw an interception on the first possession and Hundley finished off the game with a 25-yard TD to Adams.

The Browns finish with Baltimore at home and Chicago and Pittsburgh on the road. It’s going to be too much to ask for them to win two of their last three when they haven’t won any of their first 13.